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| National Return to Work Week - May 10 - 16, 2009Highlighting the Importance of Implementing Stay-at-Work or Return-to-Work Retention Strategies for Ill, Injured or Disabled Employees.
By: Peggie Campbell “The stakes have never been higher” said Margaret Spence, founder of National Return to Work Week. “Every day we hear disturbing information about layoffs and downsizing – when company’s layoff employees, what happens to employees who are injured on the job or have illness that prevent them from find new employment. What do we do with these individuals? Annually, 4.1 million employees sustain occupational injury or illness – 1.2 million have lost work days directly related to their injury or illness. Employees who are off work for more than sixteen weeks seldom return to the workforce. Employees with permanent work related disabilities are more likely to become unemployable. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 14.0 percent according to the Office of Disability Employment Policy. These statistics prompted, Margaret Spence to submit National Return to Work Week to Chase’s Calendar of Events last April, to her surprise it was accepted and added to the 2009 Calendar. From a Workers Compensation standpoint – when employees are injured in the workforce there is a monetary reward mindset, a feeling that money is better than a job. This is the only system that rewards employees to stop working – even when they are capable of returning to some employment. “We allow people to join the ranks of the unemployed for the price of a pick up truck” says Spence. "While most employees who are injured immediately return to work and continue their regular job – there are far too many who we settle out of the system. These employees either move on to a new employer, sometimes repeating the cycle, or they move to the ranks of the unemployed. There is also another subset that move into the Social Security System and become permanently disabled – adding a new burden to an already over taxed system." “Is this the only option? says Spence. “Why can’t we make an effort to implement return to work programs that retain injured or ill employees rather than discarding them from the workforce?”, she added “even in a challenging economic environment return to work programs are vital.” National Return to Work Week 2009 will bring together employers, employees, treating physicians, vocational experts, insurance, legal professionals and disability providers from around the country to share best practices and exchange information to increase return to work opportunities for ill, injured and disabled employees. Together we can highlight the importance of Return to Work, Stay at Work or Transitional Duty Programs. The NRTWW Motto - Disability does not mean no ability – injured, ill and disabled employees should not be discarded from the workforce. Nor should we create a system that rewards and allows them to discard themselves from the workforce. For details and more information about National Return to Work Week, becoming a partner, or participating in a our virtual conference, please visit http://www.nationalreturntoworkweek.org About National Return to Work Week – This week highlights the impact of not implementing proactive stay-at-work or return to work programs for ill, injured or disabled employees. It is a full week of national educational and best practices presentations aimed at bringing disability management to the forefront of the national employment retention discussion. National Return to Work will be celebrated annually during the second week of May. Visit our website: http://www.nationalreturntoworkweek.org for more information and to get involved. # # # About Margaret Spence, CWC, RMPE – Margaret is the author of From Workers Comp Claimant to Valued Employee – and the founder of National Return to Work Week. She is an injury management expert on a mission to help employers understand the importance of implementing proactive return to work or stay at work programs. Learn more about Margaret Spence, visit her website at: http://www.margaretspence.com Chase’s Calendar of Events - Brothers William D. Chase, a journalist and publisher from Michigan, and Harrison V. Chase, a university social scientist from Florida, founded Chase's Calendar of Events in 1957. Today it is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference available on special events, holidays, federal and state observances, historic anniversaries and more. Visit their website – http://www.chases.com End
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